Alaska Airlines Now Lets You Redeem Miles For TSA Pre-Check

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TSA Pre-Check allows eligible travelers expedited security screening, where they don’t have to take off their shoes, or take their liquids or laptops out of their bags.

It’s a fantastic innovation, and one which makes the US travel experience that much more pleasant, along with Global Entry, which offers expedited immigration screening.

In the past, some airlines have even offered TSA Pre-Check fee credits to elite members. Alaska Airlines is taking a different approach, however.

Alaska Airlines is the first airline which is allowing members to redeem miles for the $85 TSA Pre-Check fee. Per Alaska’s press release:

Alaska Airlines is offering its frequent fliers a new way to redeem miles and save time at the airport. Beginning today through the end of April, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members can redeem 10,000 miles to waive the $85 application fee for five years of hassle-free travel with TSA Precheck.

TSA Precheck members traveling through airport security checkpoints do not need to remove their shoes, light jacket or belt, and can leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags.

“TSA Precheck is a game-changer for those of us who travel frequently for work or pleasure,” said Sangita Woerner, Alaska’s vice president of marketing. “This partnership between Mileage Plan and the TSA will allow more of our customers to take the guesswork out of the day of travel.”

Here’s how the redemption process works, and as you can see, this option is only available through April 30, 2016, as of now:

At a rate of 10,000 Mileage Plan miles for the $85 fee, that’s like getting 0.85 cents per mile, which is a horrible value. Admittedly I do tend to think that more options for redeeming miles are a good thing, even if they’re sub-optimal, since most people don’t efficiently redeem their miles.

But this isn’t just a bad redemption option because you’re only getting 0.85 cents per mile. It’s also a bad option because there are almost no circumstances under which you should pay directly for TSA Pre-Check:

You can instead spend $100 to get Global Entry, which gets you expedited immigration; this comes with TSA Pre-Check, so it’s well worth spending the extra $15 and getting it all bundled

The very best value is signing up for NEXUS, which costs just $50, and gets you expedited screening at US and Canadian borders; on top of that it also comes with Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check, so it’s the best kept secret, as it’s the most comprehensive membership

Bottom line

Ultimately any new options for redeeming miles is good news. There are way more miles out there than can reasonably be redeemed for travel on airlines at the saver level. So if people are happy redeeming miles for 0.85 cents towards the cost of a Pre-Check membership, then great.

But for the savvy traveller, redeeming Alaska miles for 0.85 cents each is a terrible value. Beyond that, signing up for TSA Pre-Check directly is almost never a good option — you’re much better off getting a Global Entry or NEXUS membership.

If they’re going to have award options which let you redeem miles for less than a penny each, I wish it would at least be for Global Entry or NEXUS…

Would anyone consider redeeming miles for TSA Pre-Check, Global Entry, or NEXUS?

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About luckyBen Schlappig (aka Lucky) is a travel consultant, blogger, and avid points collector.
He travels about 400,000 miles a year, primarily using miles and points to fund his first class experiences.
He chronicles his adventures, along with industry news, here at One Mile At A Time.

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I can’t imagine redeeming miles for something like this. The last four times I’ve flown American Airlines, my boarding pass has had “TSA PreCheck” marked on the pass, even though I have not signed up for the program, nor am I an elite member of any FF program. So, to “pay” 10k points for something I am currently getting for free seems like a waste of points.

If I flew more regularly, I might consider paying the money for the program, however.

Travelling on an Australian passport, I would be thrilled at the possibility of redeeming miles/points for Global Entry or NEXUS, both of which are completely unavailable to my countrymen for some reason!
TSA Pre-check I usually get gratis anyway as I travel F (or J sometimes).
There in nothing more infuriating than, say, getting off a Cathay F flight at JFK and having to line up with countless hundreds of the backpacker set, while the adjacent line for Global Entry et al is empty!

TSA Pre is supposed to be for trusted travelers, not elite travelers. Does everything have to be for sale? For example, last time I checked in for a flight the system asked me if I wanted to pay an extra $10.00 to get pre boarding (I have no status on that carrier). It’s getting ridiculous. Besides, the points about Global Entry and NEXUS make a lot of sense. And those passes ARE for trusted travelers.

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